Dare to Love, page 14
“Why would I run away?” Lexie asked as she walked to her ensuite bathroom. “You know I thoroughly enjoyed last night.”
“Then why are you leaving?” He asked. “I thought we could spend the day together.” The moment the words were uttered, Will was surprised. He had never spent the day with a woman the night after being in her bed. He usually hit it and quit it. But for some reason, this time was different. He enjoyed spending time with Lexie and didn’t want the day to end. But Lexie obviously didn’t feel the same and Will wanted to know why. He wouldn’t let her escape so easily.
Pulling on his trousers, Will followed her, bare-chested, into the bathroom.
“Why are you following me?” She asked, placing her toothbrush on the counter and facing Will.
“Because our discussion is far from over. You can’t dismiss me, Lexie, like you do your other beaus.”
“That wasn’t what I was trying to do.” She smiled and batted her eyelashes, attempting to make light of the situation. “I had a fantastic evening.” Lexie came toward him and ran her fingernails across his hairless chest. “But I have to go to work.” Turning away, she started brushing her teeth, successful ignoring him. “On a Saturday?”
“Yes, sometimes I work on Saturdays. Plus I have Nia’s dress to finish,” Lexie answered and continued with her morning ritual of cleansing and moisturizing her face. Unaffected, Will sat on the toilet seat and waited until she was done. He would not be dismissed.
“What?”
“So we’ve spent a couple of nights together. You think that entitles you to know my comings and goings? What more do you want from me?”
“Are you going to stand there and deny that you felt nothing in my arms? Because trust me, I could make you eat those words.” Will stood and like a tiger ready to pounce on his prey, took a dangerous step toward her.
At the dark and primitive look in his eyes, a lump formed in Lexie’s throat and she found it hard to speak. Will took her silence as acquiescence.
“I want you to admit that we’re good together.”
Swallowing, Lexie found her voice. “And?”
“And that we should continue seeing each other.”
“Why? Because you’re allowing me to use your club?” Lexie asked mistrustfully.
“No, of course not. The club is yours, Lexie. You’re free to use it for as long as you need it.” Of course Will knew it was just a decoy to spend more time with her. After that first night on top of the bar, he’d known there was no going back. He hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind.
“You really mean that?” asked Lexie. She wanted to believe that Will was sincere. Was it possible that she could trust what her heart was telling her?
“Yes, I do,” Will brought her hands to his lips. Lexie felt her insides warm at the touch of his tongue on her skin as he placed moist kisses along the center of her palm.
Will’s eyes spoke the truth that she could believe him, but Lexie wasn’t so easily fooled. She had been down this road before. And although she loved taking risks, this time she would show a little more caution.
“All right, all right.” Lexie succumbed, giving in a little. “Based on the time we’ve spent together and our last two encounters, I would agree that perhaps there’s something here.”
“Hmmm, you think?” Will asked, encircling her in his arms and pressing her against the sink. Once they were eye to eye, she gripped Lexie’s hair and pressed her mouth against his. Her lips parted in response to his invading tongue. And when he slowly stroked his tongue sensuously across hers, Lexie welcomed the invasion.
“Oh, yes,” Lexie said, moaning in agreement. “I most definitely think we should be lovers.” Will opened her robe and it fell to the floor.
The following afternoon Lexie met Nia for a final fitting of her wedding dress at Bentley’s bridal boutique. Having worked nonstop for months, she was now focusing her attention on the design, a delicate array of intricate patterns and fabric. There was still plenty of work to be done on the dress before its debut. Lexie had begun adding pearls along the bodice, but she wasn’t done with the hem. Not to mention the veil, which she hadn’t even started on. Luckily they had two months left before the wedding. The dress would be Lexie’s most prized accomplishment and was sure to give her maximum exposure at one of the premier events of the season! Somehow she would find enough hours in the day for the dress and the fashion show and Will.
Nia turned to get a closer look at Lexie when she noticed the additional details on the dress bodice.
“Lex!” Nia cried out. “You’ve done such a fabulous job. The dress it’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“I’m so happy, girlfriend.” Lexie grinned. It meant the world to her that Nia allowed her to design the most important dress of her entire life; Lexie did not take it lightly.
They were admiring the dress in front of the three-way mirror when a livery driver delivered a large bouquet of red roses to Lexie.
“And who are those from?” Nia inquired even though she had an idea. Nia leaned over Lexie’s shoulder and tried reading the inscription, but Lexie pulled away.
“Aren’t you nosy?” Lexie smiled, sliding the card back into the envelope.
“Hmmm, and are you going to tell me who they’re from?”
“Don’t be coy, Nia. You already know.”
“So you and Will are an item, huh?” Nia asked when Lexie sat back on the floor to pin the hem of her wedding gown. “I would never have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. At the Bradleys’ anniversary party, the two of you were side-by-side making polite chitchat, dancing, feeding each other...”
“There’s more to the story than you know.”
“Really? Well, dish. Last night you were upset about your mother, but now I want the whole story out of you, ‘cause a certain person has been MIA over the last couple of weeks.”
Lexie hung her head in shame. She really did feel bad about avoiding her friend, but if they had spent any time together, Nia would easily have recognized her growing feelings for Will.
“Will and I have decided to become lovers until one of us decides otherwise.” Lexie revealed a little bit of the truth, but not her true feelings for the club owner.
Nia nearly fell off the stool. “Well, I knew you were dating him, but...” She stopped when Lexie began focusing on another task. “But why do I have a feeling you’re holding out on me? Are you starting to fall for Will?”
Her best friend knew her so well, Lexie thought, hiding her face in her sewing basket as she searched for some thread. Nia wasn’t going to take Lexie’s simple explanation at face value. She sensed that there was more under the surface, but it had come as a surprise to Lexie until the other evening, when Will held her in his arms, it had felt good and so right.
Closing her eyes, Lexie envisioned the touch of Will’s hand on the small of her back as he pulled her to him and pushed their bodies closer or the feel of his smooth hands as they caressed her sensitive skin. Even now her lips were still swollen from his kisses while her breasts ached for his touch.
Will Kennedy had captivated her every waking thought. In the cold light of day after all the hugs and kisses, but she mustn’t let herself get carried away She had to be careful not just with her heart, but with the fashion show. She couldn’t afford any screw ups, not with Sydney waiting in the wings for her to fall. Even if the man did glide across the floor like Fred Astaire.
“I enjoy Will,” Lexie answered, standing up. “He’s fabulous in bed, but beyond that...” Her voice drifted off. She wasn’t ready to admit her true feelings to Nia or anyone. Maybe if she kept them bottled inside, they would just disappear.
“Are you sure that’s all it is?”
Lexie paused for a moment. She hated lying to her best friend, but if Nia knew her underlying attraction, she would encourage a relationship with Will and Lexie didn’t need the added headache.
“Nia, really.” Lexie laughed her off. “Will Kennedy is a smooth playboy. After he’s done with me, I’m sure he’ll have no problem finding a replacement to capture his attention.”
“I doubt he wants any other woman,” Nia barked, moving unceremoniously off her perch to confront Lexie. But each time Nia dared look in Lexie’s eyes to gauge her true feelings, she moved in the opposite direction.
“What are you doing?” Lexie finally asked.
“Appears to me the lady doth protest too much,” Nia replied and lifted her arm so Lexie could unzip the side zipper. “Here, help me out of this dress.” When Nia was finally undressed, she commented on Lexie’s sex life. “Remember when I first met Damon and I proclaimed I wanted to have nothing to do with him?”
“And?”
“And you called me on it,” Nia replied. “So I’m going to return the favor. I think you’re falling for Will and you’re afraid to admit it. I’ll let you off the hook for now, but you mark my words, you two will be hooking up again before long.”
Lexie sighed. She hated predictions. Once they were out, somehow they always seemed destined to come true. Now that she’d had a taste of Will, she wanted him more than ever.
After putting the finishing touches on Nia’s gown at the bridal boutique, Lexie drove over to Millennium to surprise him. She’d made a pit stop at home first and donned her sexiest strapless mini that barely covered her backside. Adding a few dollops of her favorite fragrance by her ears and a little makeup, she was good to go.
When she arrived at the club, Will was looking as scrumptious as ever in black slacks and a black silk shirt. He was talking to several customers when he noticed Lexie walk by. His eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when he caught the hot little red dress she was wearing that looked like it had be sprayed on. He watched as she turned the corner that led to the restrooms. “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me.” He followed her into the hallway. “Lexie, what are you wearing?” he asked, less than amused.
Lexie glanced down. “Oh, this little strapless number?” She slid her fingers down the side of her slender frame. “Well, this is strictly for you, baby.”
“And everyone else.” He nodded to the men who were staring as they came out of the men’s room. Why did the woman love to push his buttons?
“Now don’t tell me you don’t like to share,” Lexie teased.
“Not my women,” Will murmured, hauling Lexie into a nearby linen closet. Kicking the door shut, Will reached for Lexie and forced her against the door. His hands sought out her face, neck, and buttocks, while his mouth went to work nibbling on the sensitive spots on her neck. When he heard her moan, his tongue darted out and trailed a hot path to Lexie’s ear, where he stayed and suckled generously. “Yes, oh, yes,” She whimpered, folding her arms around his neck.
“You like that?” Will murmured against her hair. “Well, I’ve got more for you.” Starting at her lobe, he continued a leisurely journey to the valley between her breasts in her V-neck dress. When he reached his destination, he wasted no time in pulling down Lexie’s dress and feasting on the rock-hard pebbles of her breasts.
He laved one nipple with his hot, moist tongue before bestowing the other with the same attention. Will knew from the way she was writhing against his increasing rising manhood that she wanted him and, boy, did he want her. Throwing her hands in the air, he divested her of the scrap of material she called a dress. Within seconds, Lexie was standing before him naked; save the tiny lace thong she wore covering that tiny patch of triangle.
Will’s manhood grew hard as he gazed into her passion-filled eyes. He couldn’t think straight when she looked at him like that. All he could think of was being sheathed in her wet heat.
Lexie, on the other hand, couldn’t wait. She was already down on her knees unbuckling his pants. One hand reached inside and clasped around his manhood, stroking him into a frenzy while the other squeezed the firm cheeks of his buttocks. Then she opened her mouth and took him deep inside her mouth. She swirled her tongue around his manhood and flicked her tongue across the head.
Soon she had him calling out her name. “Lexie, oh, Lexie.”
When she was complete with her ministrations, Will hauled Lexie to her feet and turned her to face the door. Bending her bottom toward him, he pushed the tiny scrap aside. He couldn’t wait any longer. He had to have her. Reaching into his wallet, he found a foil packet and quickly protected them before plunging inside her.
Lifting her slightly off the ground, Will rode her from behind while his hands splayed across her chest, molding and shaping her breasts. His fingers brought the soft mounds back to rock pebbles as he squeezed them tighter and tighter as he rode her from behind him.
Lexie was right there with him, complementing his every thrust by lifting her hips. When Will gave one final thrust, they both fell against the door as each reached an apex quickly. Lexie was the first to recover, moving away from Will to search for her dress in the dark while Will slid to the floor. Finding it, she slid the scrap of a dress back up over her body. She could only hope it was on the right way.
“You okay?” Lexie asked Will, bending down in front of Will, who was shaking his head in amazement at what had just happened.
“I’m fine. And you?”
“Never better.” Lexie winked. “We’d better go.” Lexie held out her hand and helped Will off the floor. “Or your staff might send a posse out looking for you.”
“That was pretty hot downstairs in the closet?” Lexie asked a short while later while they shared a steamy hot shower together in his loft.
“Hmmm.” Will let the water trickle down his face before answering. “Quite frankly, I don’t know what came over me, Lexie. I was a man obsessed. I hope I didn’t scare you.”
He knew he’d been a little intense. Lexie brought out the animal in him.
She turned around to face him. “I kind of liked it.” She grinned. “Who knew you had such a wild streak in you. Anyone could have come in there.” Lexie smiled again, reaching for the shampoo on the dolly.
“Here, let me.” Will took the bottle from her and poured a generous amount his hands. Bending her head back, Lexie allowed Will to wash her hair. She enjoyed the feel of his hands as they gently massaged and kneaded her scalp.
She sighed.
“Feels good?”
“Yes, oh, yes,” Lexie said, moaning.
It didn’t take long for them to end up right back where they had started earlier that evening. Except this time, they found their way to a bed.
A stream of sunlight forced an exhausted Lexie awake the next morning. Wiping her eyes, she was surprised to discover where she was.
Glancing down, Lexie took in the blue satin sheets and remembered. A smile crossed her face as she thought of her and Will making love until dawn. He was fast becoming very addictive to her system. And Lexie couldn’t have that. Things were moving too quickly. She had to slow things down. Sure, the sex was good, but they were headed for commitment and it had been a while since she’d tried that one!
Lexie was sliding out of bed when a hand reached over to halt her. Having been caught in the act again, Lexie backpedaled. “How about some coffee?” she suggested chipperly. “There’s a Starbucks around the corner.”
Will smiled. Had she been about to run out on him again? He hoped not. The more time they spent together, the more he knew Lexie was some kind of special lady.
“I’m game,” Will responded, rubbing his eyes. “Give me a second to get dressed, okay?”
Fifteen minutes later, they were both at the Starbucks counter, Lexie ordering a low-fat vanilla latte, and Will a strong Colombian coffee and low-fat blueberry muffin. Once they’d completed their order, they took a seat outside underneath an umbrella and breathed in the clean morning air.
As she sat on the wrought-iron chair, Lexie eyed Will’s muffin dangerously. “Hmmm, that looks delicious,” she said, craving a little sugar.
“Want some?” Will asked, placing the warm muffin directly under her nose to tempt her.
“Mmm, I’d love to, but I can’t eat that stuff. No carbs.” Lexie patted her flat stomach. “You want me to maintain my figure, dont’cha?”
“Oh, yes,” Will replied and leaned over to plant a tender kiss on her lips.
Lexie quivered as she drank in his sweet, drugging kisses. “God, you have no idea what you do to me.” The words came out of Lexie’s mouth before she had time to give them pause. Will appeared dumbfounded at her unrehearsed statement. Never let them see your hand, her mother always said.
Could she be falling for him, too? Will wondered. He stared at her for several long moments before taking a leap of faith. “The feeling is mutual,” he said. A little nervous, he tore off a piece of muffin and plopped it in his mouth.
“So,” Lexie was almost afraid to ask, “what are we doing? Where is all this leading to?” she sipped on her latte.
Will shook his head. “I don’t know. Can’t we just enjoy it and see what happens?” He wiped the foam off her upper lip and licked it off with his fingers.
“Sounds good to me.” Lexie smiled, hoping she’d made the right choice.
Chapter Thirteen
“What happened to your eye?” Will asked Ryan the next afternoon when he stopped by the house.
Ryan was lying on the sofa with an ice pack over his eye.
“Oh, this?” Ryan laughed nervously, pointing to his black-and-blue eye. “Some guy got a little rough on the basketball court.”
